VerJ

Moving ON

2008-08-10T02:46:00.000-07:00

Click here to visit my new blog XD

Death becomes Them

2008-02-12T07:50:00.001-08:00

Title was inspired by a random ad for the movie "death becomes her" while watching HBO. Kinda bummed with this output because it looks rushed and the only thing that I have mastered fairly well is the dissolve......tsktsktsk....Basically they get thirsty go to a well and suddenly sadako pops out of it.....

Book Review: A Trip to Quiapo

2008-02-05T09:43:00.001-08:00

The essence of life has been long expressed in films. It is where moments best experienced firsthand are recreated to be the next best thing. A window to the very depths of an artist’s soul, It not only reflects the vision of one person; rather it exudes the sentiments of all the people involved in making it.

Being a writer may be a breeze for some people but not all of us mere mortals are that lucky. Writing, much like any other form of art requires a certain degree of focus and passion to be truly effective at its main goal. Delivering a clear and concise message while maintaining an aesthetic appeal is truly a difficult thing to do, apart from this, a writer will be constantly bombarded with situations where flexibility will be the key to triumph. Living the life of a writer may be a dream come true for most of us, but it turns out that this life may not exactly be as easy as it seems.

The book starts of by telling us that there is no guarantee, no magical potion, and no mystic manual that could help us to write better. Experience tells us that no matter how hard we try to recreate another’s work as our own, we could never truly call it as our own for it is derived from the vision of other people. Writing is a form of expression that mirrors a person’s soul. This fact only reaffirms why good writers do not come in droves. Good writing can never be thought, it can only be experienced.

The book then proceeds further by telling us that 3 forms of writers exist today. One of them is the play-safe type of writer which makes decent movies by simply staying within the region that was already plotted out before him. This writer is merely a mimic of previous generations that have come and gone. It is true that staying on a given schematic may help you create an okay movie but staying within the box restricts the movie so much that doing so could actually doom a movie no matter how high the budget allocated for it. The second one is the one which goes of on a different path until it comes up with the same thing as his predecessor. Given a certain output goal, this writer goes off the conventional path and tries to spice up something that was done before by coming at it in a different perspective. Though this approach is already a good one, the fact that it came up with the same end result as the one before it also restricts it to a certain stage where all he does is create and establish a new angle on an old and washed-up focal point. The most promising type is the one that goes off in a new direction, though he may be under the scrutiny of the public, just to come up with something entirely new. This writer is the most productive in terms of pulling in people due to the fact that his works are all brand new and therefore catches the public’s interest. He strives only to express himself freely, not caring or compromising his work for the approval of others. Seeking not only to create box office gold, but more importantly to give off a sense of his being in the films and screenplays he creates.

The book tells us the different experiences in this industry. From the disappointment of being turned down, to the pain of your work being desecrated to fit the needs of the company paying for the fruit of your labor, the life of a writer is truly a colorful one. One in which you are constantly encountering new things and new people.

Experiences ranging from a last minute revision, an unreasonable deadline, and a hard to get along director are just some of the things that the author has triumphed over. The book mainly uses past experiences as a springboard for young and aspiring writers to propel them from until they finally establish a name for themselves.

The writers approach to teaching is very innovative in terms of how it was presented. The book maintained a casual air on the laying out of its information. The articles were so light and conversational that you cannot help but think that the author is actually saying these things directly to you. I loved how he would use figures of speech and metaphors to illustrate a point. It only shows how great a writer he is. Over the years, he has amassed a lot of experience and so it is only fair to treat him with a certain degree of respect. The book is a phenomenal guide for amateurs for it truly show how he does it by giving us tips and sample situations to practice upon. The writer’s vivid storytelling style also sets the mood really well, making you feel as though you are actually on location.

Honestly, I found the book to be too long text wise. The author’s inclusion of many unnecessary things often left me pondering as to what point he was trying to convey. He would write so many examples to a single subject, that when come time that I was looking back as to what the examples were for, I actually forgot what I was topic I was reading. His use of the dialogue was a creative way of presenting us with the information but it was still too long and the conversation between them actually held no water. It was like listening to 2 different people talking about 2 different things at the same time. Those parts left me wanting to skip 3 or more chapters that consisted of the dialogue. Repetition was also a big issue for me because he kept using the same examples throughout the course of the entire book. It was a prostitute this, a prostitute that……..it all seemed very frustrating and annoying to read. The use of multiple and usually unnecessary examples really just adds to the overall bulk of the book which, for a 180 peso price tag really seems to be just there for the sake of making the book more credible. I admire the fact that he wrote the entire thing in our native language but it really doesn’t seem to be practical due to the fact that he has used some word that are very difficult to understand for even Filipinos themselves find it hard to comprehend them.

One particular thought was also very contradicting to the general notion of society. I disagree that reading more books would actually stimulate creativity. In fact, it is said that reading could actually stunt the way that you express yourself for you gain a very stereotypical way of writing. The wide array of books somehow limits your skill of thinking outside the box by predetermining the outcome of a certain incident to a similar incident that you may have read somewhere before. The sad reality is , reading, over familiarizes us with a certain situation that when time come that a similar situation arises, the response we return is similar, if not the same with the response to the previous occurrence. Freedom also became an issue. Freedom can sometimes be too restricting. How so? Well, too much of a good thing was always a bad thing. Personally, I feel that being too free can actually hinder you from making a good script. The wide array of topics and foci could really take a toll on people.

The manual itself was an extreme drag to read after the first few chapters, giving only a few topics worthy of an ounce of interest coming from the reader. I often found myself reading through two pages without registering a single thing I read. The manual only related the topics in such a way that it seemed that it was more of a diary rather than an actual manual people can learn from. The ‘I am the great Ricky Lee you have to listen to me’ vibe also turned me off from reading the whole thing in one sitting. The fact is the book seemed to revolve around the author so much that he forgot that he would not be the only one reading the damn thing.

In conclusion, I believe my trip to Quiapo was rather on the lower spectrum of productivity. The book is something that you would probably muddle through clumsily without really paying much attention to retaining its content. The lazy end of the student line will probably read this only when it is a requirement. This may be a good book to serve as a guide but they always did say that experience is the best teacher. My advice is that you go write something now and go your own way for that will be the only time that you will be comfortable and be truly able to express those feelings bottled up inside of you.

Directing Seminar

2008-02-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Pretty much absent during the whole thing, I only got smidgens of what was supposed to be a whopping steak of knowledge. Even so, I could not be more greatful for the tremendous effort of the people that made this possible. Even though I wasn't able to witness the full experience of this directing workshop, I still have learned a lot.

Blogging 101

2008-01-31T06:48:00.001-08:00

I could say that the seminar was a tremendous hit, a huge success, and a definite life changer but then I would be telling a lie. It's a shame that I had to miss an opportunity such as this for it would be truly a great advantage for my sake given that I have very little to no interest at all in my blog as of the moment. The fact that I only witnessed around 1/100 of the whole thing was incredibly disappointing. But for the little part that I actually saw ,I learned how to increase the number of visitors to your page as well as other tactics being employed to organize and make your blog more appealing to other users.

CAI

2008-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Computer Assisted Instructions , otherwise known as Electronic Learning or eLearning, is a general term used to describe computer-enhanced learning.It is commonly associated with Advance Learning Technology(ALT), which deals with both the technologies and associated methodologies in learning using networked and or multimedia technologies. It often refers to drill-and-practice, tutorial,simulation activities offered by themselves or as supplements to traditional,teacher directed instructions.

BEE MOVIE

2007-12-13T17:19:00.001-08:00

My grandmum used to say " Kwago (cartoons)na naman ?! anung matututunan mo jan!?". Contrary to what she said, I always believed that you could find lessons in the most unexpected places.

The film actually makes you think about how our actions affect those that are around us. Our role in society may determine how well the society thrives. Every time we watch the news, scenes of utter distraught , calamity, chaos , and discord welcome us to the harsh reality that is our country's state. We, as spectators, blame it all on our leaders for their face is what we see most of the time, but rarely do we realize that in reality,we ourselves are also to blame.

One scene, the part where the lawyer was trying every tactic to win a case, was most disturbing for me. The reality is ,this situation happens and in actuality cheating in any field and in any situation is always present. The parody they create is a way of coping with the sad reality that is happening in our country.

They always said that the youth was the future of our country. We as pioneers of the new knowledge the earlier generations have harnessed for us should only do our best to safeguard the wisdom passed on to us. As part of the youth and as part of the future It industry, striving to pass on the knowledge by means of technology.

Video Compression

2007-12-12T19:18:00.001-08:00

Video compression, in Layman's terms, is the cramming of the video in as little
memory as possible while still retaining some of the videos original quality.

The act of video compression is lossy. It came about from the condition that much of the data before compression was not really necessary in presenting the video .

Members of the Production Crew

2007-12-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

lalalalalala.....................cue the flashy pictures of stuff......
.....cue crazy lady " Wanna be on top?" ....................and CUT!

If you can guess where this comes from I absolutely salute you! Enough about this, The film industry has already thrived for more then a just few decades. and it is only fair that we get to know the people behind one of our major sources of entertainment.

PRODUCTION

Producer- creates conditions for creating the movie
- todo ya lang ele

Production Manager-supervises the physical aspects of the production

-bisyabisya lng se ele.
Production Coordinator-responsible for logistics
Director- responsible for overseeing creative aspects of the film.
- tampa sabe lng to siya ^_^
Script advisor- keeps track of what part of the script has already been filmed
Production accountant-keeps track of the budget
Location manager- researches, locates,secures and coordinates the filming budget.
Publicist-handles the publicity

ART

Art Director - directly oversees artists and craftspeople

Set designer- creates the interior space

Assistant Art Director- carry out instruction of the art director

- achay nung Art director

SETS

Set Director - in charge of decorating the film set

Buyer- locates, purchases , or rents the set dressing

Lead man- foreman of the sets crew

Set Dresser- applies and removes dressing from the set

PROPS

Props Master-finds and manages all the props in the film

Props Builder-builds the props in the film

Armourer-deals with firearms

SCENIC

Key Scenic-responsbile for the surface treatments on the set.

GREENS

Greensman-deals with the artistic arrangement or landscape of plant material.

HAIR AND MAKE-UP

Make-up Artist- applies make-up

Hairdresser-maintains and styles the hair of the actors

WARDROBE

Costume Designer- responsible for costumes and clothing worn by the actors

Art Finisher- breaks down the garments

CAMERA

Director of Photography- chief of the camera and lighting crew

Cinematographer- also the chief of the camera and lighting crew

Digital Imaging Consultant-responsible for the coordination of the internal workings of the camera

Steadicam Operator-operates the Steadicam Rig

Motion Control Technician-operates a motion control rig

PRODUCTION SOUND

Production Sound Mixer-head of the sound department on set

Boom operator- responsible for mic placement and movement

Utility Sound Technician-acts as an additional boom operator

GRIP

Key Grip-head of the set operations department

Best Boy(Grip)-chief assistant of the key grip

Dolly Grip-places,levels , and moves the dolly track

ELECTRICAL

Gaffer--head of the electrical department

Best Boy(Electrical)- chief assistant of the gaffer

Lighting Techinician-involved with setting up and controlling light equipment

EDITORIAL

Film Editor-assembles the shots into a coherent film

Colorist-changes and adjusts the aesthetic of the film

Negative Cutter-cuts and splices the negatives as directed by the film editor

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor-head of the Visual Effects Department

Composition-composts images from different sources

Inferno/Flame-operates an inferno or visual effects system

Roto paint- paints visual info into or out of a scene

Matte Painter-draws or paints entire sets or extends portions of an entire set

SOUND/MUSIC

Sound Designer-in charge of the post-production sound

Dialogue Editor-responsible for assembling and editing all dialogues on the soundtrack.

Sound Editor-responsible for assembling and editing all sound effects on the soundtrack

Music Supervisor-creates and integrates music

Composer-responsible for writing the musical score of the film

Foley Artist-creates and records many of the sound effects for the film.

source:Wikipedia